Chapter 3
I had thought packing my things would take a long time. However, I was mistaken. After I took a closer inspection, there wast not much left.
Nearly all my close were chosen by James. Back then he had said, “Leslie is the most beautiful princess, of course, she has to dress up prettily every day.”
Now, those clothes were soaked in filthy water, and they were exuding an
unidentifiable stench.
Obviously, the image that I was the
princess in his heart, had turned into this parasite with a princess’s temper.
As I shifted the clothes aside, I saw photos
scattered all over the floor.
Back in the day, Bruce loved taking. pictures of me. He said he wanted to
capture every moment of my life, and whenever we took photos together, he
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would compete with his older brother to stand next to me.
Now, in every one of those group photos, my face was crossed out with a red pen. I did not have the heart to look anymore. So, I threw everything straight into the trash.
While I was doing this, James so happened to walk down the stairs with Lucy and saw this scene.
There was a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. After all, I used to treasure everything that he gave me.
However, he quickly sneered, “You sure don’t mind wasting Xander’s family’s money.”
The James that I once knew could spend extravagantly just to make me happy. However, after Lucy was by his side, everything I did was wrong.
I had lost the right to be willful and because I didn’t have the energy to argue, I simply said, “I’ll pay you back.”
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“The Xander Family didn’t care about that amount of money. However, you had to remember, don’t trouble Lucy again!” James warned.
Lucy pulled gently on James’s sleeve with a pout on her face. “James… don’t waste your time with unimportant people. Besides, I still want to go to the secret place.
to watch the stars. Come on.”
Hearing this, I stopped in my tracks, her words catching me off guard.
The “secret place” she mentioned was something James had created just for me when I first came to the Xander Family.
Back then, Auntie Xander was busy with work, and she had given James, who was six years older than me, the responsibility of looking after me.
James tried to give the best of everything that he could. He told me that I was his
“pure moonlight” so he designed an endless starry sky just for me.
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That night, as he looked at me under the stars, his eyes filled with warmth. Then he said, “Leslie, remember. This sky is just for you, just like this love is only for you.”
We had spent twenty years building that starry sky together before turning it into a dreamlike haven. Since then, my heart leaned toward James.
However, every time I was about to make my choice, Bruce would make a scene and it made me question myself.
As for now….
They had this new rose to admire and had long forgotten me, the dim moon.
Yet, it was fine because it did not matter
anymore.
I took a deep breath and turned to leave. In the end, I did not want either of them
anymore.
Suddenly, Lucy grabbed my wrist, and her long nail left scratch marks on my arm. She
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pleaded, “Why are you not willing to listent to me? Are you looking down on me?”
Feeling the pain shoot through my hand, I instinctively flung her hand off as hard as I
could.
Lucy staggered backward and fell in a smooth motion. “James! Brother! Save me!”
James’s face filled with panic as he caught her and held her close.
Before I could react, his hand flew across my face.
Bruce stormed in while shouting at me, “Leslie, why are you always picking on Lucy? Don’t forget, if it weren’t for the Xander Family taking you back then, you would be a homeless orphan and probably digging through garbage right now. Not only you don’t show some gratitude, but you repay us with cruelty!”
A buzzing sound filled my ears.
This was the first time in my life that I had
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been hit. That instant, my entire world. crumbled into pieces.
James’s face froze slightly as he looked at me as if he just realized he had gone too far. “Are you alright, I….‘
“I’m fine. I don‘ t blame you,” I said as I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.
I did not blame him because I took this slap as a repayment for everything that his family had given me all these years.
From this time forward, we were even. There was no debt to settle between us.
However, Bruce stopped and blocked my way, refusing to budge. “Stay here! You can’t leave before you apologize to Lucy!”
His fierce expression was nothing like the brother who once followed me around, calling me “sister” in a soft voice. However, I knew what he was capable of.
Once, there was a boy who harassed me at
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Chapter 3
school. So, Bruce retaliated against him secretly and left James to take care of the
aftermath for him.
Both of them work of them worked so
seamlessly that the boy’s entire family ended up moving away from Mirage.
I would never imagine that one day they would use that same cruelty against me.
As I looked at the smugness on Lucy’s face, I swallowed down all the words inside of
- me. I had nothing to fear. Even without them forcing me out, I was already ready to leave.
